This invention relates to an assembly or device for drawing off gases and particulate matter from a burning site. In surgical applications, such an assembly is useful as a plume evacuator for removing the gases and particulate matter generated at a surgical site where a laser is being used. This invention also relates to an associated surgical method for use in drawing off gases and particulate matter from a cauterization site.
Lasers are employed in dermatological surgery to remove such skin conditions as warts and cancerous tissues. A laser burns off the unwanted tissues and in so doing generates an odiferous by-product known as a "plume." The plume includes gases and particular matter and may further include bacteria and viruses such as the AIDS virus. Accordingly, it is important to evaculate the plume from the surgical environs as effectively as possible.
A plume evacuator currently on the market comprises a rigid hollow ring provided on an inwardly facing surface with a series of holes. The ring is connected to a vacuum generator and placed around the surgical site. During the laser operation, the vacuum generator or pump draws off the plume through the holes in the ring. The vacuum unit includes a filter which filters out the particulate matter. The filtered air is then returned to the operating room.
A disadvantage with that plume evacuator is that the fixed nature of the ring is not adaptable to the particular surgical conditions. For example, the ring is of a fixed diameter and cannot be adapted to differently sized surgical sites. This reduces the efficiency of the evacuator and may in some circumstances allow a portion of the plume to escape into the ambient atmosphere.